Systems and methods for event networking and media sharing

• US 9,544,379 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PicPocket-Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PicPocket, Inc.
• Inventors: Gauglitz, Wolfram K., LeBeau, Joshua M., McDonald, Paul A., Devaraj, Shanmugapriyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Clayton R
• Application Number:
  US13/833,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to photography and imaging, telecommunications, social media, and event networking in a variety of fields including sports and other community events, personal events, and other occasions in which the sharing of information and media is desirable. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of various communications protocols and platforms in order to distribute information through a network to enable users to interact and communicate with like-minded users, as well as to enable the creation and purchasing of items and customized products.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating media, comprising:

receiving requests to create events from a first plurality of users,

wherein each of said first plurality of users has associated therewith a mobile technology platform equipped with a display, a memory device, and an input device,

wherein said memory device has installed therein an instance of a first software application which (a) monitors the current location of the mobile technology platform, (b) captures media in response to at least one command input by a user, and (c) associates each instance of captured media with the date, time and location at which the media was captured, and

wherein each received request to create an event is generated by the instance of the first software application which is associated with a user making the request;

in response to each request received from the first plurality of users to create an event, (a) creating an event, (b) associating a temporal window and geofence with each created event, and (c) adding the created event, and the temporal window and geofence associated with the event, to an event database;

receiving instances of captured media from the first plurality of users, wherein each instance of captured media was captured on a mobile technology platform associated with one of the first plurality of users in response to at least one command input by that user;

for each instance of captured media received from the first plurality of users, (a) ascertaining the associated user'"'"'s attendance at an event in the event database by comparing the associated time and location at which the instance of captured media was captured with the temporal window and geofence associated with the event, and (b) associating the instance of captured media with the event if, and only if, the instance of captured media was captured while the associated user was attending the event;

aggregating into a collection all of the captured media related to an event in the event database; and

providing access to the collection to at least some of the first plurality of users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first software application is equipped with a browser which

browses the events in the event database,

receives selections, by an associated user, of events in the event database to browse, and

for each event selected by the associated user, displays, on the display of the mobile technology platform, media associated with the selected event which has been uploaded by the first plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, at the time a user captures media, that user'"'"'s presence at the event is ascertained by determining that the media capture occurred (a) within the time window associated with the event, and (b) at the location associated with the event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporal window is specified with parameters selected from the group consisting of (a) a start time and an end time, (b) a start time and duration, and (c) an end time and duration, and wherein the event is defined by the temporal window and geofence.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the geofence comprises GPS coordinates and a proximity envelope around the GPS coordinates, whereby the geofence encompasses all GPS coordinates within the envelope.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the proximity envelope is a circle with a radius having a specified length.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the proximity envelope is irregular.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein events in the event database are selected from the group consisting of:

events entered into the event database by an operator of the event database, and events created by the users.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first software application provides users thereof with the ability to establish and customize a home page, the home page comprising at least one event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each instance of uploaded media has metadata associated therewith, and wherein the metadata specifies the date and location at which the media was captured.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the uploaded media is selected from the group consisting of photos and videos, and wherein the metadata specifies the direction the mobile technology platform was facing when the media was captured.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said first software program has suitable programming instructions which, when executed by at least one computer processor, perform the steps of:

launching a graphical user interface (GUI) on which a user is presented with a plurality of media capture options;

recording media capture options selected by a user from the GUI; and

rendering a media capture interface in which a user can select to capture media in accordance with the selected media capture options.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said media capture interface includes a virtual, selectable object, the selection of which causes the first software program to capture media on the mobile technology platform associated with a user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

capturing media in response to selection by a user of the selectable object.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

associating metadata with the captured media which identifies an event in the event database that the media is associated with.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

associating metadata with the captured media which identifies the time at which the media was captured.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

associating metadata with the captured media which identifies the location at which the media was captured.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the GUI further includes upload options selectable by a user which govern the uploading of captured media;

recording upload options selected by the user from the GUI; and

uploading captured media to a server in accordance with the selected media upload options.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

aggregating the uploaded media to an event page associated with the event identified by the metadata.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein each event in the event database has a unique event page associated with it, and wherein each event page is a web page.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein some events in the event database are private events, wherein some events in the event database are public events, wherein access to the event page for a private event requires a passcode, and wherein access to the event page for a public event does not require a passcode.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein, at the time a user captures media, that user'"'"'s presence at the event is ascertained by determining that the media capture occurred (a) within the time window associated with the event, and (b) at the location associated with the event.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein each event in the event database has a geofence associated with it;

wherein, at the time a user captures media, that user'"'"'s presence at the event is ascertained by determining that the media capture occurred (a) within the time window associated with the event, and (b) within the geofence associated with the event; and

wherein media captured by a user while that user is present at the event is aggregated into an event page associated with the event.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence of one of said first plurality of users at an event is ascertained by determining the current location of the mobile technology platform associated with the user with respect to a geofence defined for the event, and wherein media subsequently captured by the associated mobile technology platform while that user is present at the event is aggregated.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the associated user'"'"'s attendance at an event includes requiring the associated user to check into the event.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the associated user'"'"'s attendance at an event further includes comparing the date on which the instance of captured media was captured with a date associated with the event.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each one of the first plurality of users, associating a set of events in the event database with the one of the first plurality of users;

wherein an instance of captured media captured by the one of the first plurality of users is associated with an event only if the event belongs to the set of events associated with the one of the first plurality of users.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein associating a set of events in the event database with the one of the first plurality of users includes:

identifying a first set of events in the event database which were created by the one of the first plurality of users; and

associating the first set of events with the one of the first plurality of users.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein associating a set of events in the event database with the one of the first plurality of users includes:

identifying a set of associated users in the set of the first plurality of users who are associated with the one of the first plurality of users;

identifying a second set of events in the event database which were created by the associated set of users; and

associating the second set of events with the one of the first plurality of users.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein providing access to the collection to at least some of the first plurality of users includes providing, to each of said first plurality of users, access to (a) the events associated with that user, and (b) the events associated with those of the first plurality of users who are associated with that user.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein providing access to the collection to at least some of the first plurality of users includes providing, to each of said first plurality of users, access to the events associated with that user.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the associated user'"'"'s attendance at an event in the event database includes ascertaining the associated user'"'"'s attendance at all events in the event database.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing access to the collection to all of the first plurality of users.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the requests to create an event are automatically generated by an instance of the software application in response to the capture by the associated user of media which cannot be associated with an existing event in the event database.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving requests to create events from a second plurality of users, wherein each request received from said second plurality of users is generated with an instance of a second software application which is associated with a user making the request and which is the same as, or different from, the first software application, wherein each request to create an event which is received from the second plurality of users is generated by an instance of the second software application in response to the entry by the associated user of information defining an event; and

in response to each request received from the second plurality of users to create an event, (a) creating an event, (b) associating a temporal window and geofence with each created event, and (c) adding the created event, and the temporal window and geofence associated with the event, to the event database.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the requests to create an event are generated by an instance of the software application in response to the entry by the associated user of information used to define an event.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said information includes the location, start time and duration of an event.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said information includes the geofence and temporal window to be associated with an event.